1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the audio data field, and more particularly, to an audio recording medium including a plurality of tracks which audio data are recorded on and reproduced from, methods for recording data on and reproducing data from the audio recording medium, and recording and reproducing apparatuses therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
As for conventional digital audio recording media, such as midi discs (MDs), separate music files are continuously recorded on tracks, as shown in FIG. 1, by a digital audio recording apparatus. Accordingly, when such music files are reproduced from the tracks, the start and ending of each file can be indistinct if no pause period exists between the tracks.
For this reason, conventional compact discs (CDs) are provided with the mute data area assigned with Index 0. In other words, when a conventional digital audio recording apparatus receives digital audio data through a digital interface from a CD player and records the digital audio data in such a recording medium, mute data are also written to the mute data area having Index 0 of each track, such that the mute period exists between each of the tracks. As a result, although the audio data are continuously reproduced from the tracks, each of the tracks can be identified due to the presence of the mute periods.
When the conventional digital audio recording apparatus records mute data in the area with Index 0 and audio data in other index areas of a CD, the mute data and the audio data are recorded within a single write unit. Data recording and erasure from such digital audio media are performed in write units. Thus, it is almost impossible to erase only mute data from the tracks while audio data written within the same write unit remain on the recording medium.